"Gotta Get Away" is a song by American rock band

the Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

. It is the fourth track and third single from their breakthrough album, '' Smash'' (1994). The song was a modest hit in several countries and peaked at 6 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart. "Gotta Get Away" was inspired by an early track, "Cogs", written while the band was still named Manic Subsidal. Although the song was a big hit, it did not reach the heights nor achieve the popularity, success, airplay, or sales of the album's previous singles " Come Out and Play" and " Self Esteem". The song has two single covers. The first, the cover for the CD single, depicts a skeleton in the same style as the previous singles from '' Smash'': "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem". The second, the cover for the 7-inch vinyl, shows the actor from the video standing outside the coliseum, his eyes covered by the song title. The song also appears as the same numbered track on the Offpsring's '' Greatest Hits'' (2005).

Composition

Gotta Get Away is described as a

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

song.

Content

The lyrics refer to the pressure that lead singer Dexter Holland was under to finish the album on time.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Samuel Bayer and filmed at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Salt Lake City, UT on December 17, 1994.The Offspring's official Twitter account
posted and fetched on December 17, 2014. The video starts with a boy entering a coliseum where a mosh pit breaks out while the band plays. It is predominantly in black and white. The video ends with the same boy lying on the floor alone. The music video appears on the '' Complete Music Video Collection'' DVD, released in 2005.

Track listings

CD single Swedish CD maxi and U.K. 7-inch black vinyl

Personnel

The Offspring

* Dexter Holland – vocals, guitar * Noodles – guitar, backing vocals * Greg K. – bass * Ron Welty – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control The Offspring songs 1994 songs 1995 singles Epitaph Records singles Music videos directed by Samuel Bayer Songs written by Dexter Holland